


Pizzicato

by prosaicwonder



Category: Beyblade, ベイブレードバースト | Beyblade Burst (Anime)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Character Study, M/M, Musicians, One Shot, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 10:17:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8485513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosaicwonder/pseuds/prosaicwonder
Summary: He had not expected the other to come in.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I found a bunch of fic prompts on Tumblr and one of them was ‘singing together or playing instruments together’. This was a bit difficult to write because I don't know very much about Orochi's character, and I kinda threw in my own headcanons into the fic again so please don't take this too seriously ahah;;  
> It was really fun to write something more light-hearted this time around. For those unfamiliar with the musical terms I used in the story, the English meanings are at the end of the fic.

He had not expected the other to come in.

 

With his waist-length bright blonde hair, flashy leather ensemble and perfect white smile, he had definitely stood out in the little music shop: as if he were the embodiment of the sun and the moon and the stars all in one. But there he was: one of the most popular celebrities in Beigoma city was standing in his shop, smiling softly at the CD cover he held up with one hand.

 

How irritating, Orochi thought. If anyone outside had to find out about this, he’d never be left alone in peace. Thankfully, it was a Saturday.

 

The store had been quiet, with Orochi being the only one inside. His old man had been rehearsing again for another concert, this time in some other Scandinavian city he couldn't pronounce the name of (Or was it Russian? Who knows.) so he had been left on his own again. He had two customers come in earlier, but they had left as quickly as they entered. He had been chewing a new stick of his favourite bubblegum for another few minutes, until he noticed an unfamiliar figure gazing at him from outside the clear glass of the shop door.

 

The young man outside had been wearing a black hat, dark specs and surgical mask. Definitely not suspicious, Orochi thought wryly. But he had allowed the customer to come in anyway, and opened the door as the pale blue bubble in his mouth popped. _Sforzando_.

 

The first thing the blonde did in front of him, was let out that eccentric laugh he heard so many times before. And then he realised it was _him_.

 

* * *

 

Orochi cleared his throat, feeling awkward at the silence and at the way the blonde had not moved after picking up the CD: one of those irritating, over-edited covers filled with sparkles and glitter and other things that pre-pubescent girls would scream and faint over and that should have just--

 

"This was my debut album, you know?" Zac the Sunshine spoke suddenly, smiling fondly as he traced a finger over the perfect plastic wrap of the CD. He had taken off the ridiculous props earlier, after he was let in and after being told that no one else was probably going to come in for the rest of the day. Orochi noted that his voice was softer, more mellow: like a single tenor sax in comparison to an entire concert band. An interesting sound.

 

When Orochi did not reply, Zac continued. "A lot of people told me it was stupid, that I should give up because there will always be someone better..."

 

Oh. So it wasn't just him.

 

"... but I perform because I love it. Beyblade, too. I'd never give up either of those things." Orochi briefly wondered why the idol was telling him all this. They had never spoken prior to today, after all.

 

"Do you play any instruments, Ginba Orochi-kun?" Zac suddenly asked, his voice light with innocence. He had placed the CD back into the empty slot where it had been (under the J-pop section, letter Z) and was now watching him with a light smile on his face, his blue-green eyes twinkling with curiosity.

 

Orochi blinked. So Zac knew who he was. Perhaps he remembered from the repêchage tournament... it was unlikely that he would know anything else about him, after all.

 

 _Fermata_. Then he replied: "Guitar."

 

He was half-expecting the idol to scoff and tell him what so many people said before, that he should play a 'proper' instrument like the violin or cello and become an award-winning concert performer, that he should follow his dad's footsteps and become a conductor, that the guitar was stupid and 'basic' and that anyone could play it. That was why he never liked being around others, because they said things that didn't involve them...

 

The thoughts of contempt rose in Orochi's mind, the crescendo becoming more and more until his forehead was hot and felt as if it would burst from the pressure - like a zillion _tutti_ sections all at once.

 

"Ah really? Niii~ce." Zac grinned, giving him a thumbs-up. Even off-stage, he was picture perfect. "Can you show me, maybe?"

 

Oh. This was certainly new.

 

Too stunned to give a proper response, Orochi merely nodded before turning around and walking to the instrument section with his hands in his pockets, with Zac happily following behind.

 

Orochi sat down on a nearby chair, picked up one of the instruments and propped it against one leg before moving his hands and fingers into the starting position. He then switched off from reality, focusing on the chords and notes and the way the polish of the dark brown wood of the acoustic guitar shone in the light and felt smooth and cold against his elbow.

 

After several minutes, he ended off with a gentle strum of an arpeggiated chord. _Fine_.

 

"Nice, niii~ce!!" Zac exclaimed as he clapped vigorously. It had been a while since Orochi had heard the sound of applause. The last time was at the A-block finals, when he had performed with Obelisk Odin.

 

"That was splendid! _Wonderful_." Zac praised, saying the final word in English. "Hey, can you play by ear?" the idol asked before flashing his perfect sparkly white smile again.

 

Something resounded within him that felt like the gentle pluck of a _pizzicato_ by all four players in a string quartet, softly echoing before dying away completely. It felt strange, somehow.

 

Unable to speak again, Orochi gave him a nod of affirmation.

 

"Haha, a man of few words, aren't we?" Zac teased. "Then, can you play my latest single?" Since when did the other get so _close_?

 

 _Pluck_.

 

Orochi turned away as he nodded again, ignoring Zac's first comment and the weird _pizzicato_ he heard in his head again. He had heard Zac's new song at least once a day, so he already had the song memorised even though he wasn't a big fan of J-pop. That was the problem with popular songs: that they were played over and over until people got bored of them.

 

His fingers brushed softly against the nylon of the guitar strings, moving into position for the first chord. He played the intro effortlessly and then strummed a final chord: the cue for the lead singer.

 

He heard an intake of breath and then the sound of Zac's voice joining in with the gentle notes of the guitar.

 

The song sounded completely different without all the drums and gratuitous autotune and electronic sound effects, but it was a good kind of different. Orochi preferred the tranquility of the acoustic guitar to the generic electropop he heard every day on the radio. Somehow, Zac's voice had sounded different too, he noted. The flashiness and stage confidence was gone, replaced by a gentler and more sincere tone.

 

Eventually the song ended, and they both stared at each other in silence: Orochi seated with the guitar on his lap and Zac standing close to him.

 

"Ah, that was so niii~ce!" Zac said happily, clapping his hands together like a child who got his first Beyblade. "Thank you for performing this with me."

 

Wordlessly, Orochi got up to return the instrument to its original place. He was never good with dealing with others. He pulled out a new stick of bubblegum and stuck it into his mouth, chewing and savouring the sweetness of it as he stuck his hands back into his pockets.

 

"I'm glad I came here today." Zac said as he watched Orochi chew the gum, preparing to blow out the first bubble. The brunette did not ask why.

 

"... Actually, I listen to orchestral CDs sometimes." the idol confessed. The bubble came out, perfectly round and pale blue. "Sometimes I just want a change, to listen to something else. Your dad's recording of the 9th Beethoven Symphony is probably my favourite."

 

 _POP_!

 

They were staring at each other again, but this time Orochi's dark eyes were wide with shock, the gooey pale blue gum smeared across his lips and chin. Zac watched him with a light smirk, his green-blue eyes eventually snapping shut as he let out a burst of laughter.

 

"Ahah, sorry, sorry!! That was so funny." Zac gasped in between giggles. "I never knew you could make a face like that, Orochi-kun."

 

 _Pluck_.

 

This time, the _pizzicato_ chord was more dissonant, less together. Chaos.

 

"Well... thanks." Was all the brunette could get out, before he reached a hand up to hastily wipe away at the mess. After throwing the ruined gum away and cleaning up, Orochi returned to where he was standing before. He kept his eyes on the floor, imagining orchestral scores and solo sections and phantom treble clefs and semiquavers decorating the surface. The little specks of dirt looked like triads on an aged piece of manuscript.

 

A sound suddenly jolted Orochi out of his thoughts, piercing through the silence and tearing his imaginary manuscript paper until the notes were no longer legible. His head whipped up to see Zac's eyes closed in amusement, his mouth wide with another toothy grin.

 

There was that annoying laugh again, too.

 

"Of course. Though there was a reason why I came here and not anywhere else."

 

Zac did not explain any further as he took a step closer towards the other blader, an enigmatic smile on his lips.

 

"My team needs one more member for the national tournament. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this..."

 

Orochi did not respond. There was a sort of strange buzzing in his mind, the frequency getting louder and higher by the octave.

 

"Join me, Orochi-kun." Zac said, his hand outstretched and inviting, the soft smile never leaving his face as his eyes glistened like clear crystals in the lamplight. Orochi had never seen this side of the idol, not even in the dozens of music videos he had acted in. It made the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand up, the heat slowly creeping up his skin like a wave of molten lava.

 

If Zac was the sun, then he was surely being burned right now.

 

"When do I start?" Orochi eventually said, trying to shake off the odd feeling.

 

"Is that a yes?" Zac teased, leaning in closer.

 

"I..." Orochi faltered, quickly whipping his head around to turn away from the idol. "I'll do it. But on one condition..."

 

"Hmm?"

 

"None of those ridiculous costumes, or weird streaks in the hair. Otherwise, I'll do it."

 

Zac laughed out loud, his face still mere inches away from the other blader's.

 

"Sure, sure. But I think red would look good on you, Orochi-kun." The idol said as he twirled one of the thick strands of Orochi's dreadlocks with a manicured finger.

 

To the other musician's horror, he felt the heat spread across his cheeks. He hoped that the idol would not notice.

 

"I'll be back next week." Zac said with another laugh, winking at the other musician as he pulled away. After collecting his props and putting them back on, he turned around to face Orochi, smiling at him expectedly.

 

Slowly, Orochi walked towards the front door of the music shop, with Zac following him in the same direction.

 

"Once again, thank you for today, Orochi-kun." Zac said when they both reached the door. "I had a lot of fun. Hopefully we can have a bey battle soon!"

 

After giving a final wave, Zac grinned as he exited the shop, the door swinging closed behind him.

 

"What a weirdo..." Orochi muttered as he placed his hands back into his pockets, his dark eyes never leaving the glass of the shop door as the blonde idol grew further away from his sight.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Musical Term Glossary:
> 
> Sforzando - Sudden emphasis  
> Fermata - A pause, or silence  
> Crescendo - Gradually getting louder  
> Tutti - All instruments together  
> Arpeggio - A broken chord. The notes are played one-by-one instead of all together  
> Fine - The end of a piece. Pronounced FEE-neh  
> Pizzicato - Pluck the string instead of bowing it  
> Octave – Musical interval, where two pitches are 8 notes apart


End file.
